Durham
Solar panels in Whickham, sized to your roof.
About 6,040 kWh a year from 12 panels in Whickham, £6,360 installed, with your system designed on a free 30-minute video call.
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- Free 30-minute video design call
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- Installed by our MCS-certified, fully insured teams
Whickham's solar year
Whickham's best month is May, at 123 kWh per kWp; December manages 29.4. Over the year that comes to 950 kWh per kWp, 2% above our Durham county estimate.
Generation per kWp, month by month
Show the monthly figures
| Month | kWh/kWp |
|---|---|
| January | 32.7 |
| February | 51.3 |
| March | 83.4 |
| April | 108 |
| May | 123 |
| June | 111 |
| July | 117 |
| August | 106 |
| September | 88.6 |
| October | 58.6 |
| November | 41.1 |
| December | 29.4 |
Source: PVGIS v5.2 (European Commission JRC), SARAH3 database, 1 kWp, 14% system loss, 35 degree pitch, due south, checked September 2026.
Our GB average is 925 kWh per kWp a year, the mean of the 85 county PVGIS estimates we publish; at 950, Whickham is 3% above it.
How Whickham compares
Small towns rarely get published solar figures, so here are the numbers for Whickham. It is one of 35 Durham towns we track, and it ranks 13th of 35 for solar yield, a town of 15,839 people in the House of Commons Library settlement data. PVGIS gives its roofs 950 kWh per kWp a year, 2.60 peak sun hours a day averaged across the seasons, and the standard 12 panel model turns that into £860 of year one benefit, £247 of it from your own generation and £613 from export at 12p.
These are starting numbers, not a quote. The calculator below opens on Whickham's own PVGIS figure; change the panels, the battery or the export rate and it reruns. The design call replaces every assumption with your roof and your bills.
Gateshead is the planning authority covering Whickham, which the House of Commons Library classes as a small town.
The charger is in the installed price but left out of payback: charging savings depend on your mileage and tariff, which the design call models properly.
Your real roof and usage, worked through on a free 30-minute video call. Use the full form or leave three details below.
Price this for your roof
Three details. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute design call, on video or by phone if you prefer.
Modelled for Whickham at 54.94291, -1.68213 on PVGIS data, with imports valued at 26.32p/kWh and solar at £1,000 per kWp installed. Sources and assumptions: help page.
Who runs the grid in Whickham
The distribution network operator (DNO) for Whickham is Northern Powergrid, which runs the North East England licence area.
G98 is the simple route. If the inverter, plus any battery, stays at or under 3.68kW per phase, Northern Powergrid only has to be told within 28 days after the system is commissioned.
A bigger inverter or battery output needs a G99 application in advance. Northern Powergrid publishes a guaranteed standard of 45 working days to quote for a low voltage generation connection.
Sources: NESO DNO licence areas (3 May 2024); Northern Powergrid, generation connections page, checked 25 September 2026. G98 vs G99, explained.
Adding a heat pump or an EV charger in Whickham
A heat pump in Whickham
A heat pump does most of its work from November to February. Over those four months, 12 panels in Whickham make about 980 kWh, against 2,900 kWh from May to August, so winter heating runs mostly on grid electricity and the tariff matters more than the roof.
The Boiler Upgrade Scheme, open in England and Wales, takes £7,500 off an air source or ground source heat pump, or £2,500 off an air-to-air unit. Homes on oil or LPG with no mains gas get £1,500 more until March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
Charging an EV in Whickham
A 12-panel roof in Whickham makes about 780 kWh in May. A typical home uses around 70 kWh of that in daylight (the calculator's typical-use settings), which leaves most of the month's output for an EV or for export.
The calculator above includes a 7.4kW smart charger from £1,100 installed. Renters and flat owners with off-street parking can claim 75% of a chargepoint's cost, up to £500 per socket, until 31 March 2027 (gov.uk, checked 28 September 2026).
What the named kit costs, installed
Every system is designed around your roof on the free call before anything is fitted.
Solar panel servicing and repair in Whickham
Faults, servicing and ageing inverters follow the same economics in Whickham as anywhere else, and the guides below price them plainly.
Common questions about solar in Whickham
What does a solar panel system produce in Whickham?
Each kWp of panels in Whickham makes 950 kWh a year on PVGIS figures, so a typical 12-panel system produces around 6,040 kWh, from about 190 kWh in December up to 780 kWh in May.
What would 12 solar panels cost in Whickham?
£6,360 for 12 panels (6.36 kWp), the same as in every other place we cover, because solar is priced at £1,000 per kWp installed rather than by area. A battery adds its own installed price on top. Where Whickham differs is output: about 6,040 kWh a year from that system.
Would a system in Whickham need approval from the network operator?
Whickham is on Northern Powergrid's network (North East England licence area). Systems up to 3.68kW per phase of inverter output follow G98: Northern Powergrid is notified within 28 days of commissioning, with no approval needed first. Anything larger needs a G99 application before installation. Northern Powergrid publishes a guaranteed standard of 45 working days to quote for a low voltage generation connection. Our G98 vs G99 guide explains both routes.
How much would export pay on a system in Whickham?
It is exported. With typical use and no battery, about 5,105 kWh of the 6,040 kWh a 12-panel system makes in Whickham goes to the grid, around £613 a year at 12p. A battery keeps more of it for the evening; the export rates table shows what suppliers pay.
Is solar worth it in Whickham in winter?
It works, but the year is lopsided. 69% of a Whickham roof's output lands between April and September; the four months from November to February give about 980 kWh on a 12-panel system. Payback is worked out on the whole year, not the winter.
How Whickham compares with its neighbours
How the towns nearest Whickham compare on the same PVGIS settings, closest first.
| Town | kWh per kWp a year | vs Whickham |
|---|---|---|
| Whickham | 950 | this town |
| Blaydon | 934 | −16 kWh |
| Ryton | 930 | −20 kWh |
| Gateshead | 942 | −8 kWh |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 942 | −8 kWh |
| Crawcrook and Greenside | 927 | −23 kWh |
| Stanley | 945 | −5 kWh |
Each row is a PVGIS v5.2 run at that town's centre with the same settings. Treat gaps of a few kWh as noise and gaps over about 30 kWh per kWp as real differences in sunshine.
Also for Whickham: Solar panels in Whickham from OVO Solar & Battery
See a number before you speak to anyone
Answer a few questions about your roof and usage and see an instant solar and battery estimate. No email needed to see the result.
Reading for Whickham homeowners
Sourced, dated and written by us. The same ground we cover on your free call.
Microinverters, optimisers or a plain string inverter: who needs what
Shade and roof layout decide this. An honest triage of the three approaches.
Read the guide →Adding a battery to solar panels you already own
Retrofitting a battery to working solar is straightforward. The paperwork is where people trip up.
Read the guide →Three phase and EV charging: what actually changes
Three phase buys 22kW charging. Most cars cannot use it, and load balancing usually solves the real problem.
Read the guide →Are air source heat pumps any good? What owners actually report
The UK's largest survey found 80% of heat pump owners satisfied, against 70% for gas boilers.
Read the guide →What the Smart Export Guarantee actually is
The scheme obliges suppliers to pay above zero, and leaves the rate to them.
Read the guide →NAPIT, NICEIC and competent person schemes: who tells building control about your solar
Solar work is notifiable. A competent person scheme means your installation team notifies, not you.
Read the guide →Get my free quote
Takes about two minutes. We call or text within one working day to book your free 30-minute video design call at a time that suits you. We design it around your roof and your numbers, and our MCS-certified, fully insured installation teams install it.